


Silver

by ThatButthole



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Tree, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Souyo Secret Santa Gift Exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28056951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatButthole/pseuds/ThatButthole
Summary: Yu and Yosuke decorate their first Christmas tree as a couple. Yosuke's artistic vision is not to be messed with.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21
Collections: Souyo Secret Santa Gift Exchange 2020





	Silver

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InabaCube](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InabaCube/gifts).



> ~~God I hate coming up with titles.~~ Hello! I'm sorry this is kind of short for a gift fic but I hope it's adequate!

“You are NOT putting that on the tree.”

Yu frowned at the orange and beige knitted cat ornament in his hand, as if trying to figure out how it had offended Yosuke enough to be denied a spot on the Christmas tree. Yosuke rolled his eyes. He liked his partner a lot — loved him, even — but Yu did _not_ have an eye for aesthetics. Sure, Yosuke could admit the cat was cute. Being made by Kanji, it also held sentimental value. But Christmas trees needed _integrity_ , which the woolly charm did not possess.

Yu clutched the charm just a little tighter. "I think it's cute," he said. He turned to Yosuke, eyes pleading, and Yosuke loved the way it made his heart skip a beat.

"I know you think it's cute," he said, "but look. The cat doesn't fit the theme at _all."_

Yosuke had nominated himself as "the style-savvy one" of the two, and Yu, ever the diplomat, had no qualms humoring him. Yu liked his turtlenecks and popped collars, and didn't bother caring if anyone else approved. (Nobody but Naoto did.) And as the style-savvy one, Yosuke had proudly taken on the grueling task of planning the overall look of their first Christmas tree as roommates — as _boyfriends_. Saying it still made Yosuke feel a little giddy.

"I don't see how adding some color to the tree would ruin it. If one lone charm disrupts it too much, I have more." Yu tried. He wasn't insistent, per se, but clearly not letting this go with just one "no". But Yosuke was not weak-willed himself. Their apartment was small, and if the tree was going to be within eyeshot all their waking hours, it had better look good.

"Partner, I would, have, and will trust you with my life, but not with decorating a Christmas tree," he said, and mercifully added: "This year. Next one is all yours."

Yu pouted. "I thought you were there to support me," he whined, and hung his head with an exaggeratedly disappointed sigh.

Yosuke shook his head, but couldn't keep himself from smiling. Yu would _not_ have felt comfortable _whining_ two years ago when his life's purpose was to single-handedly fix everyone's problems. Of course Yosuke was grateful for how considerate and selfless his partner was, but he was nevertheless happy of what a long way Yu had come from the desperate people-pleaser he once used to be. He still tended to prioritize others, but was learning to ask for things and voice his opinions more and more often. And Yosuke was damned if he wasn't proud of him. (And maybe of himself, too, for being able to take partial credit for that development.)

"I _am_ here for you, partner," he began, "but face it, you have a terrible taste." Yu quirked his eyebrows, but wasn't actually offended. They had been through this before.

Yu shot his cat another look before turning to Yosuke, eyes pleading. "Can we make a trade? For every animal I put on the tree you get a kiss."

Yosuke blushed. It was a tempting offer, but he had to keep his ground. For his integrity. Yu wouldn't deny him affection anyway. They both needed it too much to follow through with these kinds of threats.

"Still no," he managed to say, his voice a little less stable than he would have preferred. Yosuke still got embarrassed easily. "You let me take charge of the tree, and I said it's going to be white and silver. I _promise_ it'll be pretty. Trust me."

"I always do," replied Yu. He put the kitty back to his pocket, as a sign of admitting defeat. "So I won't get in the way. What do you say I make myself useful by making us some hot chocolate instead?"

Now _that_ was a job Yosuke was happy to entrust Yu with. When it came to the matters of the heart and the kitchen, Yosuke paled in comparison. Yu would always object to the former though, reminding Yosuke that he was great at reading people and simply lacked tact sometimes. Yosuke was doing his best to not say everything that came to mind or rile people up on purpose these days, and while he wasn't perfect… Maybe they had both come a long way.

Yosuke continued meticulously placing, replacing and moving the decorations on the tree to their optimal spots while Yu worked around their kitchen. Soon the shuffling and clinking came to a stop and a soft, sweet scent started wafting through the apartment. Yosuke took a deep breath to savor it, and… was that cinnamon he detected? Had Yu added cinnamon? As Yu emerged from the kitchen and handed Yosuke his mug, it turned out he had indeed. Even though Yosuke had just crushed his hopes and dreams of a Meowy Christmas. God, Yosuke loved him so much.

The tree was now almost done; only the star remained. Yu carefully climbed on a chair to attach it; he had asked to do the honors when they had decided to have a tree since he was never allowed to back home, and Yosuke had agreed in a heartbeat.

Yu hopped down and stepped next to Yosuke to admire the fruits of their labor. The tree now donned silver tinsel, a makeshift star made of the same material wrapped around some wire on top, and paper snowflakes carefully crafted by Yu's loving hands. (Yosuke had been right about him being good with them all that time ago.) Relatively inexpensive, but it still looked good. All those awful late shifts decorating Junes near holiday season sure had paid off.

"Well? Doesn't it look good?" he asked, nudging Yu with his shoulder.

Yu hummed in response. "Yes. You really are good at this." His lips curved into a tender smile. "I was afraid all that white would make it look too... sanitized, I guess. Even with the sparkle. But the handmade star and snowflakes really give it a more homely feel."

Yosuke hadn't really understood why Yu had been so adamant on hanging a bunch of tacky, colorful ornaments on a Christmas tree when his wardrobe included so many button-ups and muted colors, but now he got it. Yu was a soft person who grew up in an emotionally distant and ever-changing environment — not to mention the trauma he had of hospitals, which were all white — of course he would long for the warmth of a home.

Yosuke wrapped his free arm around Yu's waist. "You can decorate it with all the cats and color you want next year… Well, maybe not all of it, but some." He winked.

Yu figured it was a good compromise. Yosuke got his "stylish" tree now ("why did you put it into air quotes!?") and Yu would have his homely one later. They could take turns with the decor in the upcoming years. And while Yosuke was already sure their next Christmas tree would be dreadful, he couldn't find it in himself to be mad about it. The fact that they were both so positive they had many years together ahead of them was exciting, and despite all his complaining, Yosuke knew he would take on any monstrosity with glee if it meant he could see Yu's smile.

Besides, it wasn't like Yosuke hadn't thought about Yu while making his plans. There was a reason he had settled on silver and not for example gold or red. Yosuke would tell anyone who asked that it was the aesthetic of cold and snow he was after, but it was clear from the fond look on his face as he gazed into his partner's twinkling eyes that it was only a partial truth.

Yosuke set his mug on a nearby bookcase and turned to give Yu a proper hug. "Merry Christmas," he whispered, and leaned in for a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm Yu, my dad is Yosuke. He insists on one theme color for the tree each year, taking turns with silver and gold (this year is silver) and won't stand for anything "tacky" (read: fun.) When my brothers and I were small he did let us help with the tree because it was important to us and he's a kind man really, but the moment the eldest was old enough to not view it as a necessity, we all got our own tiny plastic Christmas trees we could keep in our rooms and decorate how we wished. They were tacky as hell and I loved including mine in the surprisingly morbid Christmas plays I put on with my barbie dolls. Merry Christina!


End file.
